Grate



Nov. 29, 1932.

J. V. GUAY GRATE Filed Aug. 4, 1931 Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES GOAL COMBUSTION cor Irena, or MASSACHUSETTS PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH VICTOR GUAY, HAVERHI'LL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSTGNOB TO- SUPERIOR OF HAVERHILL, 'MASSACH'USE'ITS, A CORPORATION exam Application filed August 4,1931. Serial No. 555,012.

or a mixture of soft coal and screenings, with- I out liability of escape of unconsumed fuel through the grate, to permit freeaccess of air to all partsof the fuel bed and thereby ensure complete combustion, and consume as fuel all of the gas ordinarily lost through the chimney, and to so evenly distribute air in all parts of the fuel bed as to prevent or minimize the formation of clinkers. V

Of the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, c

, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the grate.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2+2of Figure 1. i r I Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the grate body units.

'Figure 4 is a section on line ofFigure 3. I

Figure 5 is a perspective view of another grate body unit.

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the members of the terminal hereinafter described. c

Figure 8 is a section on line 88- of Figure 7. Y

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures. The main or body portion of distinguished from the terminal or top portion hereinafter described, comprises a group of ring-shaped units including a base unit of maximum size adapted to bear on 51110111].-

nary grate and other ring-shaped units of successively decreasing size superposed on the base unit, the units collectively forming a grate body having a fuel-supporting salient outer surface and an inner surface defining an air chamber within the body Each of .said surfaces is stepped, and slopes inward and upward from the base of the body. The fuel-supporting surface is approximately conical, its form being such that fuel deposited on it is caused to gravitate outward and back up against the fire-box wall. The fuel bed therefore has a greater depth at its marthe grate, as

V gin than at its, center, so that it has a maximum thermal efficiency. Each unit is designated as a whole by 10 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4) and includes an annular web portion 13, surrounding a central, opening 12. The web is provided with lugs 14 projecting from its opposite sides. U

The lugs 14 space apart the web portions of the several units. The base unit is of maximum size and the other units are successively reduced in size. The outer margin of each unit above the base unit is offset inwardly from the outer margin of the unit next below it, so that the fuel-supporting upper surface of the body formed by said units, is stepped and slopes inward and upward from the base, as indicated by the dotted lines m-m in Figure2. y c

The lugs14 of the base unit are adapted to bear on the fire-box grate gas indicated by V Figure 2.

Air passages are formed between the several units, the contour and. direction offlsaid passages being indicated by the arrows 3 (Figure 2) from which it will be seenthat each passage is adapted to conduct air upward and outward from the air chamber into a fuel bed supported by the grate body, and at the same time prevent small fuel, such as buckwheat coal, from falling through said passages. 1 I i V V The lugs 14 on the under sides of the webs 13, bear on the webs of lower units to space said webs apart. Each unit is formed to separably interengage the unit superposed upon it, and prevent edgewise displacement thereof. In other words, theunits are nested so that no unit is liable to be accidentally displaced edgewise, and the units are freely separable from each other, so that a grate body of any desired area and height may be provided by assembling a sufficient number of units, thebase unit being of an area corresponding to that of the grate g, or other support employed.

Some of the described air passages may be formed by channels 16, in lugs 14, and other passages by the spaces between other lugs 14.

'Thechannels 16 are elongated and narrow,

their width being such that buckwheat coal cannot pass through them. The lugs 14 are shorter than the width of the webs 13, so that buckwheat coal entering the channels formed by spaces between the lugs, is prevented by the inner portions of the webs 13 from falling into the air chambers, the inner portions of the upper sides of said webs constituting shelves on which small banks of buckwheat coal accumulate without falling over the inner edges of the webs.

The above described body units constitute the major portion of the grate which is supplemented by a fuelsuppOrting, air-distributing terminal at the summit of the grate body, said terminal having air passages communicating with the interior of the body, and adapted to evenly distribute air in the fuel bed and thereby eliminate liability of ex plosions, the passages in said terminal being adapted to prevent downfiow of small fuel through the central portion of the grate.

Said terminal preferably comprises a circular inner member 18, (Figure 7) and a fuel-supporting top member shown by Figure 6. The member 18 is provided with nmvnwardly projecting lugs 19, superposed on the upper body unit, and provided with air passages formed in part by the paces between the lugs 19, and in part by slots or ports 20, in the member 18. Said passages communicate with the interior of the grate body.

The fuel-supporting top member is a plate 21 separated from the inner member 18 by a continuous annular air space 22 (Figure 2) adapted to direct air horizontally outward in all directions into the fuel bed. The top member or plate 21 is provided with vertical air passages 23 extending through from side to side and adapted to direct air upward into the central portion of the fuel body. The passages 23 are suliiciently narrow to prevent small coal from passing therethrough. The upper surface of the inner member 18 is horizontal and projects 51- ward from the periphery of the outer member 21 to form a shelf on which the fuel is bank-ed, without entering the passages 20. The top plate 21 is supported by a central stud 24, inserted in a socket 25 in the lower member 18.

The air distributed in the fuel by the described terminal ensures complete combustion of all gases, and therefore prevents the formation of clinkers and liability of explosions.

Air under suitable pressure may be forced into the interior of the grate by any suitable means, controlled, if desired, by a thermostat. Each body unit is a casting, and preferably composed of two sections, one of which is shown separately by Figure Each section has inner edge faces 33, the faces of the two sections being abutted together to form a joint indicated at 34, in

Figure 3. The ends of the section have coupling lugs 35, on which are extensions of the faces 33. When the sections are abutted together, they may be united by any suitable means, such as stove bolts 36 (Figure 3) extending through the coupling lugs The coupling lugs of each unit have V-shaped recesses 37 in which coupling lugs of another unit are nested.

I claim:

1. A grate comprising a body composed of a group of units collectively forming a fuel supporting outer surface and an inner surface, an air chamber defined by said inner surface, each of said surfaces being stepped and sloping inward and upward from the body base, each unit including an annular web and lugs projecting from the top and bottom surfaces thereof, said body having air passages formed by grooves in the webs and lugs of said units and communicating with and extending outward and upward from the air chamber to the outer surface of the body, and arranged to conduct air from said chamber into a fuel bed on. the body, and a terminal at the summit of said body formed to support the central portion of a fuel bed resting on the body, and having horizontal and vertical air passages arranged to direct air horizontally outward and vertically upward into the central portion of said fuel bed, said units bearing loosely on and being separably interengaged with each other so that a great body of any desired area and height may be provided by varying the number of units.

2. A grate as specified by claim 1, said terminal comprising a circular inner member having downwardly projecting lugs superposed on the upper body unit and provided with air passages communicating with and extending upward from the air chamber, and a fuel supporting top member separated from the inner member by a continuous annular space arranged to direct air horizontally outward into the fuel bed, said top member having vertical air passages extending through it, and arranged to direct air upward into the central portion of the fuel body.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

JOSEPH VICTOR G-UAY. 

